I loved reading this very funny book. There are alot of jokes and puns, it is about Ronnie who wakes up one morning with flashing spots on his face, which turn out to be illuminated measles. He is pursued by a Russian spy, meet the band who played on the Titanic and his mum is in outer space in an elevator! I am reading it to my 7 year old niece and she enjoys the story. It was pretty hard to get a hold of, but worth it. Look for the other books involving Ronnie.

The amount of data amassed on sleep in this one volume amazed me. There are such interesting things to learn on this fascinating subject! You can find out what goes on in the mind during the various stages of sleep, each chapter vividly describing the contents and results of some extraordinary research. Sleep disorders are discussed, narcolepsy, insomnia, sleep talking, sleep walking, and some you will not know existed. The history of methods of obtaining sleep data is also explored, and the value of dreams and REM sleep is researched thoroughly. Of particular value is the section on the effects of external stimuli applied prior to and during sleep on the sleep experience. The various accounts of animal research are disturbing for the animal lover, but have resulted in some amazing discoveries that will enthrall the sleep subject enthusiast. The effects of REM deprivation on various aspects of personality is a very deep topic, and interesting. What I did not like about this particular book was it's continual references to the various experimenter's names. Sentences and paragraphs are constantly interrupted with parentheses giving the researcher's names, I think all this could have been mentioned once at the beginning of each chapter and then expounded upon in the appendix. Also, unless you are a serious sleep student, much of the research methods towards the end of the book will boggle you, but since this book seems to have targeted the serious student, it is probably quite necessary material. Had the subject been targeted for the lay reader and the methods explained in simpler terms, I think this book would reach the best seller list in no time. The chapters are all separately authored, which breaks each category of research into nice little packages and exposes all sides of all viewpoints. All in all, a truly informative and comprehensive book, you will learn more than you ever thought you could on this subject! (And the book will NOT put you to sleep!)